President’s son wins election to succeed father

The son of Turkmenistan’s president has been declared the winner of elections held on Sunday, paving the way for Serdar Berdymukhammedov to succeed his father.

Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov is the leader of the isolated Central Asian state.

The electoral commission in the capital Ashgabat declared 40-year-old Serdar Berdymukhammedov the winner of the presidential election on Tuesday with some 72.97 per cent of the vote.

A month ago, the 64-year-old Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov declared his intention to pass the baton to the next generation after being in power for 15 years.

Elections in Turkmenistan were considered neither free nor fair.

Authorities in the Central Asian country put voter turnout at 97.17 per cent (or 3.26 million people).

The inauguration would take place on Saturday.

Berdymukhamedov initially appointed his son Serdar deputy prime minister a year ago, charging him with the modernisation of the state, digitalisation and improving governance.

He has been groomed to succeed his father for years, but has only just become eligible, as Turkmen presidents must be at least 40 years old.

After leaving office, Berdymukhamedov has signalled his intention to retain some influence as chairman of the People’s Council, the upper house of the Turkmen parliament.

The elder Berdymukhamedov has been subject to criticism from Turkmen in exile for human rights abuses.

The persecution of dissidents and for a lavish and costly personality cult included erecting a 21-metre-high, gold-plated equestrian statue of himself made of bronze and marble in the centre of the capital.

In spite of its large size, Turkmenistan, much of which was desert, has just six million inhabitants.

Human rights activists consider the country to be one of the most brutal dictatorships on earth and one that was only slightly less isolated than North Korea.

The Star